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"Our guests did not refuse imported drinks"
Not only consumers, but also restaurant operators had to adapt to significant changes in the alcohol market. The founder of the Rakovaya chain, Evgeny Nichipuruk, told Kommersant about how dependent catering establishments are on imported supplies and whether domestic producers have the opportunity to take a noticeable position in the market.
— Imported alcohol accounts for approximately 80% of all bar product purchases in our establishments.
— After the special operation, was there a serious problem with purchasing imported alcohol?
— There were no problems, except for rising prices, until about May 2022. On the contrary, the market was oversaturated with supply. Because the departing foreign alcoholic beverage producers still had a lot of stock in their warehouses. But everyone understood that these stocks would be exhausted, and it was unclear how further purchases would be made.
In the summer of 2022, we had no idea what alcohol would come or would come to us, so there was no standard menu, the range and prices were printed on paper every day. This lasted for several months and was later delivered via parallel import. However, we can talk about stability since the end of 2023.
The biggest problem is a serious increase in prices. For example, the cost of buying Macallan whiskey at the beginning of 2022 was about 25,000 rubles. Immediately after - for a 0.7 l bottle - 4.5-5 thousand rubles, and now the price has reached 8-9 thousand rubles. The "round dance" principle applies here. The more touches, the higher the cost. There are still hands.
— Was there a moment when you replaced imported alcohol with domestic?
"We couldn't do that, otherwise we would have lost customers."
— Have they reoriented themselves towards Russian analogues of gin, rum, whiskey and other strong drinks?
— Despite the significant increase in the price of imported drinks, most guests did not give them up. Some people began visiting bars less often, but others did not switch to domestic drinks.
— Didn’t the rise in prices even contribute to this?
— There are no significant changes in this regard in the premium segment. Yes, consumers are shocked by the two- to three-fold increase in prices for familiar drinks, but this is a new reality that we had to get used to. I think that in more mass segments, people are mainly guided by price, not quality, and are ready to switch to domestic analogues.
— Why were Russian alcohol producers unable to replace the brands that left the Russian Federation?
- Too little time has passed. Consumers' adaptation to new brands and the understanding that Russian manufacturers are capable of creating quality products have been going on for several decades. This will require serious marketing work and an infusion of funds.
Abroad, there is already a culture of producing certain types of alcohol depending on the country. For example, the Germans have been brewing beer for centuries, the Irish and Scots have been producing whiskey, and the Dutch have been producing gin. They have been selecting raw materials and creating recipes for centuries. It is similar to the automobile industry. We have been trying for many years, but we still cannot design a Mercedes. Moreover, it has become much more difficult to find the necessary raw materials on the Russian market.
— Do domestic alcohol producers have the opportunity to occupy certain market niches and compete with imports?
— In my opinion, Russian producers should focus on drinks historically associated with Russia, such as vodka and moonshine. There are already successful examples in this sector. Beluga is popular not only here, but also abroad. There are also new niche markets. Polish polugary, beloved by consumers, have disappeared from Russia. In any case, domestic producers will be able to compete on price, and the HoReCa market is dominated by companies that consider price a more important factor than quality.